time now for the "ridiculist." we have the story of an 18-year-old man who tarnished the pristine bingo scene in kentucky. he walks into a bingo parlor because really, what teenager can possibly resist the forbidden allure of senior citizens and numbered ping-pong balls and just yells out bingo! that's what he does. he yells out bingo! kerfuffle ensues. everyone thought they had lost when of course he wasn't even playing. the game was disrupted for several minutes and the players were said to be visibly alarmed. an off-duty police officer was there working security. do we really need security at bingo games? apparently we do. here's how austin described what happened next. >> instantly he grabbed my hand, handcuffed me and then takes me to the back of his cruiser.

>> that's right. handcuffs. for yelling bingo. not only that, he was cited for second degree disorderly conduct. the judge apparently has a sense of humor because he sentenced him to, wait for it, to not say the word bingo for six months. so being a resourceful young man, austin has developed some work around. >> i kind of try to say it backwards, something along the lines of that. old mcdonald had a farm. p-i-n ringo was his name-o. >> oops. as you might imagine, this crime turned the town of covington, kentucky upsides down with residents running scared, afraid some other teenager might yell bingo at any moment. >> this is hilarious. that's what the law came down to. >> well, all right. maybe he wasn't so concerned. the good news is austin has learned a very important lesson from all of this. a lesson he's kind enough to share with his fellow youth of america. >> kids out there, don't say mingo in the mingo hall. >> these kids today with their video games and mp3 players and

unbridled love of bingo halls. they think they're so clever. back in my day there was more respect. sure, a bunch of us would occasionally sneak into a bridge game or canasta tournament. what teen hasn't done that? but we didn't yell things out willy-nilly. those days are gone but not forgotten on the "ridiculist." that's it for us. thanks for watching. "early start" begins now. an historic day that could lead to a change in the definition of marriage. the rights of same-sex couples in front of the supreme court in just a few hours. new threats from north korea, threatening to strike the u.s. mainland, hawaii and american military units. and it's another day of a snowy, slushy, chilly mess. is it really spring? and now, new freeze warnings as well for you this morning. tiger back on top and says there's a simple reason why he's

again the world's number one golfer. good morning. welcome to "early start." christine romans in for john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. let's begin with a potentially pivotal day in the battle over gay rights, the definition of marriage and the definition of families in america miles per ho america. in about three hours, the supreme court will hear on the constitutional of two laws, the defense of marriage act and proposition 8, california's ban on gay marriage. court's decision set for later this year could have profound implications. for some, the occasion is so momentous, they camped out for the better part of a week, braving the snow and bitter cold to vie for just 1 of 250 seats available to the public. the big question, will justices follow the seismic shift in favor of same-sex marriage? a new cnn/orc poll shows the number of americans who support same-sex marriage has spiked 12 points in just six years. the rise due in part because

more americans polled say they know someone who is gay. shannon travis is at the supreme court. shannon, the justices examining the constitutionality of prop 8. what is each side arguing? >> reporter: yeah, obviously, they'll be laying out their arguments in a short time here at the supreme court, christine. obviously, this is proposition 8, the 2008 passed measure, voter-passed measure that banned same-sex marriage in california. on the pro side, the people that are actually in favor of the proposition, they argue a classic conservative argument, christine, that the definition of marriage in the united states has always been between one man and one woman. they will also be arguing that this is a voter-approved measure, that the voters approved it on the cons, the people that are actually against this. they'll basically say you know what, this violates the equal protection clause of the constitution and also that the heightened level of scrutiny should be applied when you're talking about discrimination against gays and lesbians because that is a class of citizens that historically has

faced discrimination. so, those will be the arguments that we expect to hear from both sides in the court in just a short while. >> you know, in the court, shannon, hearing arguments and this growing public support for same-sex marriage, could those changes in public opinion affect the court's decision? should the court be stepping in or should it allow the people to decide? >> reporter: christine, that's really a key question. you cited some polls showing majority support, growing support for same-sex marriage as it stands right now, but a lot of people are saying, you know what, let the people decide, let the legislative and the electoral process in states decide where this goes. let people vote in members of their state houses and senate and approve this or through referendums or measures or what have you. a lot of other people are saying that this might be -- if they decide to allow same-sex marriage, that might be judicial activism and that this shouldn't be put to the test of a judicial solution, christine. >> all right.

justice kennedy, justice beginberg, two justices to watch in this decision. any idea where they could lean? are those the two people to watch in this? >> yeah. i mean, we're definitely watching them. obviously, no way to tell how this will turn out, but kennedy is interesting, because some people have said in the past that he's been sympathetic to gay rights. there was a 1996 ruling that he wrote concerning a colorado amendment, an amendment to their constitution that basically said that colorado couldn't pass these gay rights laws to protect homosexuals. justice kennedy came out and struck that down. he wrote the majority opinion on that and also in 2003 there was another majority opinion where he struck down laws that criminalized homosexual sodomy, so people can be sympathetic. ginsberg basically wrote about roe v. wade, saying at the time the opinion got ahead of public opinion, so she could also be

key. christine? >> shannon travis in washington. thank you, shannon. we have breaking news this morning. italian supreme court judges have decided that american amanda knox will again stand trial for the death of her former roommate. knox originally spent four years in prison before an appeals court overturned her murder conviction in 2007 in the death of meredith kercher. kercher was found inside their perugia apartment with her throat slashed. knox returned to the united states, as you know, in 2011. there is no word yet on what exactly happens right now and if she will have to be sent back to italy. again, amanda knox's acquittal has been overturned. we are going to have a live report regarding this. we've been waiting all morning to hear. >> wow. >> they said the decision would come down at 5:00 this morning. it did. it took an extra day for the court to make this decision. it's a shocking ruling. we'll get more developments. >> and yesterday, john berman and i spoke with one of her attorneys, who said that he felt pretty confident -- >> oh, yeah.

>> -- that, you know, the supreme court would not overturn this, that they made a very good case that she was innocent, she'd be acquitted of those charges. now the question is what happens next? will she go back there for a retrial? can she stay in this country while they have a trial? would italy work to extradite her from the united states? >> and will the united states, you know, make her go over, really, or will they just apply our laws to this? >> john asked her attorney, would she go back or would she go -- >> well, they said at the end -- when she was acquitted, they said she will not go back. her family said we are not sending her back, regardless of what the italian courts say. >> so we'll watch that story this morning. also new overnight, north korea serving up its latest round of threats against the u.s., saying it will place units on combat-ready status for possible strikes against the u.s. mainland, hawaii, guam and other american military units in the pacific. north korea is angry over tougher u.n. sanctions and joint military exercises by the u.s. and south korea. this is the latest in a string

of threats by the north koreans. the u.s. department of defense has responded, saying it will fend off whatever the north comes up with. coming up, we'll get the latest from cnn's matthew chance live near the border with north korea. six minutes past the hour. if the weather were a football game, winter would be flagged for a late hit and spring would be whistled for delay of game. millions of people are dealing with another day of snow, slush and chill nearly a week after spring officially began. this month will go down in the record books in many parts of the country. cnn's martin savidge live for us this morning. he is in pittsburgh. everybody is kind of tired of this mess. i know how you feel about it there. how's the weather there? >> reporter: well, the good news for the folks in pittsburgh is the snow that was predicted last night failed to materialize, but get a load of this. last year between january and march in pittsburgh, they had 22 days above 60 degrees. this year, five. and it isn't just here. gone but not forgotten.

the spring storm that dumped snow from the colorado rockies to the jersey shore is now a melting memory, but not before crushing snowfall records in parts of the midwest. in places like st. louis and peoria, illinois, records for march dating back a century or more were buried beneath a foot to a foot and a half of snow. springfield, illinois, got 17 inches. that's the most ever in a single day. according to the national oceanic and atmospheric association, there was snow on the ground monday in nearly half of the lower 48 states. compare that to less than 8% a year ago. and the storm system had wide-reaching effects, making roads a mess, keeping airlines grounded and delivering powerful thunderstorms, high winds and cold air to the sunny south. in most areas, the snow only added up to a few inches, but it quickly turned into thick, heavy slush. in pittsburgh, even the plows had problems. >> it's slippery underneath. it's a very heavy snow that

actually, even though the trucks are heavy, it's pushing the trucks around a lot. >> reporter: snowblowers bogged down. >> wet, heavy, and so that was surprising. that shocked me. i didn't think it was going to be heavy. i thought it would be a lot lighter. >> reporter: snow remains in the forecast for the next few days, leaving people here and elsewhere wondering, whatever happened to that thing called spring? yeah, and those flurries are expected also here in pittsburgh, but look at it this way, that white just allows the yellow of the daffodils to pop, doesn't it? happy spring, everyone. >> thank you, martin. we really appreciate it. we'll check back with you. jerry sandusky speaking out from behind bars and trying to discredit a key witness who testified against him. in recorded interviews for a documentary project called "the framing of joe paterno," sandusky questioned the credibility of prosecution witness and fellow former penn state coach mike mcqueary. sandusky says mcqueary was wrong

when he testified he walked in on a sexually charged conduct between sandusky and a boy abused back in 2001. here's what sandusky said happened between himself and the boy. >> you don't remember slapping towels yourself, do you? >> i would have been more of a slap-off thing, i'm not sure. then i remember him always, no matter what, he would always get the last lick in, okay? he would get the last smack and then i would chase him, like, and i ran him into a wall. >> the filmmaker, john ziegler, says he's trying to fulfill disgraced penn state football coach joe paterno's dying wish. >> here's what i'm trying do. i'm trying get to the truth of this matter. joe paterno's dying wish was just find out what the truth was. no one has done that for joe paterno -- >> but joe paterno, as you know -- >> i'm trying to do that, and the only way to do that is to talk to the central figure in the story, and that is jerry

sandusky. and when there is corroborating evidence, which there is for much of what jerry says, with regards to penn state and joe paterno's lack of culpability, i will use that to make a case this was a rush to judgment. >> in the interview, sandusky says he doesn't know if paterno suspected abuse. penn state has blasted sandusky and the release of the audio tapes. sanduskisy appealing his 30-year sentence. authorities have linked the murder of colorado's prison chief to a shoot-out in texas. the gun found from evan ebel is the same used to kill him. ebel was an ex-con and a member of the white supremacist prison gang. investigators are still trying to figure out if he had any accomplices. prosecutors say a senior leader captured at sea nearly two years ago has turned out to be an intelligence watershed. in papers unveiled in court, it was revealed that ahmad warsami

had ties to al qaeda in yemen. intelligence officials say he provided enormously valuable information about terror training, operatives and potential plots. she has been an outspoken critic of government spending. now michele bachmann faces a congressional ethics investigation for alleged misuse of funds during her short-lived 2012 presidential campaign. the allegations include under-the-table payments and fund transfers by members of her senior staff. her attorney says the minnesota congresswoman is cooperating with the investigation. the "dragon" cargo capsule getting ready to leave the international space station. new video this morning of the undocking process that began just a little while ago. in a couple hours, the capsule will head back down to earth. it's expected to splash down in the pacific off baja, california, this afternoon, just after 12:30 eastern time. this unmanned capsule arrived at the station about three weeks ago with supplies for the crew. tiger woods back on top. he has reclaimed the number one spot in the world golf rankings after winning the arnold palmer invitational in orlando. it's tiger's third tournament

win this year and the first time he's been ranked number one, folks, since 2010. he says that there's a simple explanation, he's finally healthy. >> i had to look at it, if i get healthy, i know i can play this game at a high level. i know i can be where i'm contending in every event, contending in major championships and being consistent day in and day out, if i got healthy. >> so, it's the eighth time tiger has won at bayville. next up, the masters in two weeks. speaking of contending and winning, the winning streak's 27 this morning. that's more games than nine nba teams have won for the entire season. lebron james took over the game last night, finishing with 24 points in a 108-94 victory over the orlando magic. the heat now just six away from the nba record for consecutive wins. >> look at that. >> wow. that streak is owned by the

'71-'72 l.a. lakers who won 33 straight. >> all right, they're getting awfully close now. and lottery officials are waiting for the winner of a $338 million powerball jackpot to come forward. this man, pedro cestada, caused a frenzy at the passaic, new jersey, liquor store where the ticket was sold. he said he hit the jackpot but didn't have the ticket with him to prove it. new jersey officials say they are aware of the claim but until they see that winning ticket, they are not calling anyone the winner. this is the fourth largest lottery jackpot ever. >> wow. >> congratulations. all right, following breaking news this morning. amanda knox's acquittal overturned. she is now set to face a retrial for murder in italy. we are live in rome with the brand-new developments, next. come on, nowadays lots of people go by themselves. no they don't. hey son. have fun tonight. ♪

♪ back against the wall ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ ain't nothin to me [ crowd murmurs ] hey! ♪ [ howls ] ♪

many cereals say they're good for your heart, but did you know there's a cereal that's recommended by doctors? it's post shredded wheat. recommended by nine out of ten doctors to help reduce the risk of heart disease. post shredded wheat is made with only one ingredient: one hundred percent whole grain wheat, with no added sugar or salt. try adding fruit for more health benefits and more taste in your bowl. it's the ideal way to start your heart healthy day. try post shredded wheat. this has been medifacts for post shredded wheat. we begin with breaking news.

amanda knox's acquittal has been overturned. an italian supreme court just deciding that she will face a retrial for the murder of her roommate, meredith kercher. cnn's ben wedeman is standing by live in rome with the very latest developments in this case. so, ben, where does this case go from here? >> reporter: well, we understand from the presiding judges that in 60 days, they will publish their reasoning for this decision to overturn the october 2011 acquittal for amanda knox and her former boyfriend, raffaele sollecito. now, after he publishes that, the defense and the prosecution has 45 days to put forward their argument. so, we're really talking about, perhaps, possibly a trial some time in the middle of the summer, but it's a convoluted, lengthy process. but certainly, this ruling, which came out about 18 minutes ago from the italian supreme

court behind me, comes as something of a surprise. this morning i mentioned to one of the defense lawyers, saying that he was confident that the court would uphold the acquittal. so, yes, now we're looking ahead to another trial, perhaps just as sensational as the last for raffaele sollecito and amanda knox. >> a lot of people are simply going to be shocked by this information this morning. i know you said that they'll publish the information as to why they've ruled this way. do you have any knowledge at all, anything that has been leaked as to why they ruled this way? >> reporter: well, certainly, they seem to be listening to the arguments of the prosecution and were convinced by them. now, yesterday the prosecution argued that if you look at the broad body of evidence collected in the course of the investigation, it amounts to damning evidence against the two defendants.

the prosecution argued that the defense was very good at focusing on individual pieces of evidence that seemed flimsy, but i guess the court, or we can assume that the court's decision is based upon a belief that, indeed, the body of evidence that was collected was enough to call or mandate a retrial in this case. >> and ben, do we know if italy will seek her extradition for the new trial? and do we know or do we think that we know how the u.s. might respond to this? >> reporter: well, certainly, if there is a retrial, she should, by italian law, attend the trial. she can be tried in absentia, although the united states and italy do have an extradition treaty. so, what would happen, the italian government would have to request her extradition from the american authorities. we understand that the american authorities, however, were not happy with the conduct of the trial that took place in 2009

leading to their conviction, and there have been previous instances where americans have been accused and found guilty of crimes that the united states was not willing to extradite them to italy. zoraida? >> all right. ben wedeman live in rome for us. thank you very much. >> certainly a very surprising turn in that case, amanda knox will have to face retrial in italy. coming up, a 17-year-old's mul multimillion dollar idea. this kid is 17! he's a teenager who just made a bundle with a big sale to yahoo. we're here! we're going to the park! [ gina ] oh hey, dan! i really like your new jetta! and you want to buy one like mine because it's so safe, right? yeah... yeah... i know what you've heard -- iihs top safety pick for $159 a month -- but, i wish it was more dangerous, like a monster truck or dune buggy! you can't have the same car as me! [ male announcer ] now everyone's going to want one. let's get a jetta. [ male announcer ] volkswagen springtoberfest is here and there's no better time to get a jetta. that's the power of

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good morning. 23 minutes past the hour. welcome back. "minding your business" this morning, futures are higher, but gains are looking a little slim. the market closed lower yesterday. optimism from the bailout deal in cyprus faded as the trading session went on. it was, frankly, a reminder that there's a lot of work to do and some fraying nerves within europe. banks in cyprus will remain closed until thursday. regulators say they need more time to prevent a run on deposits. imine living in a country where the banks have been closed for almost ten days. limits on withdrawals from put in place last week, banks were closed. long lines at atms have become the lasting image of this story. the new bailout deal will break up the two biggest banks in cyprus and shrink its financial sector dramatically. to put it in perspective, the banking sector in cyprus grew to seven times the size of its

economy. one european that's about to make a big deposit in his bank. this young man, his name is nick d'aloisio. he's 17 years old. he's about to be worth millions. yahoo reportedly just bought his company and the tech blog puts the price tag at $30 million. 17 years old, just sold his company to yahoo for $30 mill. he invented a news-reading app. in december, he told cnn's piers morgan how he got the idea. >> sure. i started programming when i was 12 and have been doing apps for a few years. and the way i thought of this idea is i was revising some history items and i thought if i could build a technology and condense the content, it would help everyone else my age consume it. >> the app takes articles, turns it into short summaries, making it easier to read on your smartphone. nick still has to finish high school, so he'll work from yahoo's london office to comply with their new policy that bans

telecommunicating. >> great. >> can you imagine? >> i love that story. >> i love that piers is so ahead of the game, interviewed him back in december. cool idea. all you need. >> it can pay off. 25 minutes after the hour. they're not even on the market yet, but one state is already considering a ban on google glasses. that's coming up. and you can watch us any time on your desktop or mobile phone. go to cnn.com/tv. [ male announcer] surprise -- you're having triplets.

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breaking news. amanda knox's acquittal overturned. she'll be retried for murder in italy. a live report just ahead. a pivotal day for the fight for gay rights. the supreme court just hours from hearing arguments for same-sex marriage. parts of the country waking up to a snowy mess. and to top it off, new freeze warnings to tell you about. >> welcome back to "early start." glad you're with us this morning. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> "early start," it's not early spring. it's still winter. i'm christine romans in for john

berman. >> it's tuesday, march 26th. >> maybe in parts of the country. >> send us an e-mail if you're in florida, arizona -- >> california. >> lucky, lucky. >> all right, 29 minutes past the hour. so, the big story we're following right now, about three hours from now, actually, the u.s. begins hearing arguments that could change the definition of marriage and the definition of families in this country as well. at issue, doma, the federal defense of marriage act, and proposition 8, california's ban on gay marriage. the arguments stretching out over the next two days. and some people have camped out for the better part of a week, vying for those 250 seats that are available to the public. shannon travis is live at the supreme court for us this morning. and shannon, today the justices are examining the constitutionality of proposition 8. what is each side arguing? >> reporter: yeah, each side is basically -- at the core of this issue, of course, zoraida, as we've been mentioning, is whether or not the constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry, right? so, to your question about what

each side is arguing, the people who are supporters of proposition 8, this ban on gay marriage, they basically say, listen, in the united states, this institution of marriage has always been defined as between one man and one woman. they also say that proposition 8 is a voter-approved measure that was approved by voters in 2008 in california. the opponents, obviously, of prop 8, they think differently. they say that the constitution does guarantee same-sex couples the right to marry, and they also say that a higher standard has to be applied. any time you're talking about discriminating against a class of people, in this case gays and lesbians, in their mind, they feel that this is a class of citizens, of americans, that historically has been discriminated against. so, any time you're talking about denying them a right, that it has to face a higher scrutiny, zoraida. >> shannon, there's a very good write-up in "the new york times" that kind of explains all this. so, if the justices think proposition 8 has to be overturned, there would be three ways they could go about it.

if they oppose proposition 8, which path do you see is most likely? >> reporter: well, it's really anyone's guess exactly which path is more likely, but let's go over the three different scenarios, zoraida. path one could be, they could say this only -- they could rule a decision that only applies to california. and that's because california is the only state, zoraida, that actually granted these rights to same-sex couples to marry and then took them away with proposition 8. so, the justices could say, no, that doesn't stand, but it only applies to that state. conversely, path two, they could basically say that allowing civil unions is discriminating against people who actually want to get married. so, it's not allowed. and the other states who allow civil unions have to allow for marriage. and the third path, obviously, is just to completely strike down the ban on same-sex marriage altogether throughout the country. a lot of people think that that's probably a dramatic step

too far, but that's also a possibility, zoraida. >> yeah, i was reading that's probably the least likely scenario. >> reporter: exactly. >> shannon travis live for us at the supreme court. thank you. all right, to our breaking news now. an italian supreme court has ruled that american amanda knox, she must stand trial again for the killing of her former roommate. this decision was announced just a short time ago. knox, of course, spent four years in prison in italy before an appeals court overturned her murder conviction in the 2007 death of meredith kercher. kercher was found inside their perugia apartment with her throat slashed. cnn's ben wedeman's standing by live in rome with the latest developments in this case. ben, where does this case go from here now? >> reporter: well, we understand that the judges, the five supreme court judges have 60 days to issue the reasoning behind their decision to overturn the acquittal. after that, the defense and the

prosecution has 40 days to put forward their arguments. we're being told that a trial may not begin, actually, or the retrial will not take place until some time perhaps early next year. now, a little while ago, we had the opportunity to hear from carlo de la delava, one of the lawyers for amanda knox. he said that amanda is shocked and very sad by this ruling, but she's strong and willing to fight. she is worried because, according to her lawyer, she doesn't quite understand the italian system, but she told him that she has confidence that it is a fair system. >> wow. do we have a sense as to why the court ruled in favor of a retrial? any indication what it was about the evidence or the process that made them think that it is necessary and right to do this again? >> reporter: well, we understand that the prosecution made a very

good, very strong argument for a retrial during the -- [ inaudible ] -- very long process. that if you look at the broad body of evidence, that was collected during the course of the investigation, that it amounts to a very strong case. and therefore, it appears that the supreme court seemed to agree with that. now, the prosecution yesterday was arguing that the defense was very sort of good at pointing out little bits of evidence that were weak on the prosecution side, but obviously, that did not sway the judges. >> do you know, do we know, ben, if italy would seek her extradition for this trial? how do you think the american authorities might respond here? >> reporter: well, we understand that she will remain free as well as raffaele sollecito, the

other person involved in this case, until much further down the line. now, obviously, if it gets to the point where there is a complete retrial, they will be expected to appear in court. but at this point, there's going to be no request made for her extradition. >> all right, ben wedeman live for us in rome. clearly some shocking developments. an attorney telling you that she is shocked, sad, but willing to fight. ben wedeman, thanks. there's a lot of news today. new developments overnight from north korea, serving up its latest round of threats against the united states. it says it plans to place military units on combat-ready status for possible strikes on u.s. bases in the pacific. cnn's matthew chance is live in yeonpyeong near north korea. matthew, with so many threats coming from pyongyang, is there a sense that some kind of action from north korea is now a matter of when and not if anymore?

>> reporter: well, it's very difficult to say, zoraida, because it is such an unpredictable country that we're focusing on that is making all these rash claims and rash threats. the latest one that it's put its armed forces on high alert. those forces that are attached, assigned in a sense, with striking u.s. bases in guam, in hawaii and on the u.s. mainland as well as areas in south korea. it's a repeat of a threat it made a few days ago in response to overflights by u.s. b-52s over south korea, which it does on an annual basis with its allies in south korea. but all of these issues have angered the regime in the north very much indeed. of course, in the past, they have made good on some of these threats. in fact, i'm talking to you from one of the places which they shelled three years ago, this island of yeonpyeong off the

west coast of south korea. it's a south korean island, but as you mentioned, very close, indeed, to the maritime border with north korea. it shelled this place in the past. lots of concern that that could happen again. >> there was an article in "the new york times" yesterday that said south korea and the u.s. made plans for defense. do we have any indication now as to what the response will be from the united states? >> reporter: well, i think the response has already been given in the sense that the united states has signed up with its ally, the south koreans, to agree to take part in any military action against the north, should that be necessary. up until now, it has been at the discretion, really, of the u.s. military, whether they would join the south koreans are not in any response to an attack. >> you know, this article says this would be south korean-led and u.s.-supported. that response. so, we'll wait and see.

matthew chance live for us. thank you very much. our other top story this morning, no plea from the two teenage suspects charged in the horrifying murder of a baby in georgia. 17-year-old marquesies elkins let his lawyer do the talking during his first court appearance since his arrest. a 15-year-old suspect also was in court. the pair charged in the shooting death of a 13-month-old baby boy while attempting to rob the baby's mother. the mother was shot in the leg but survived. the russian businessman found dead in his home died by hanging with no signs of a violent struggle. that is the latest word from british investigators. he was in england after a falling out with the kremlin and president vladimir putin. that fueled a lot of speculation about his death, but police say there is no evidence a third party was involved. berezovsky was apparently having money problems. toxicology test results will take several weeks, however. searchers from philadelphia to boston will be back on the trail today of a missing college student.

sunil tripothy left his apartment in providence, rhode island, without his cell phone or wallet. there is a search and his family has set up a facebook page encouraging him to come home. this will go down as the lost week of spring, perhaps. the powerful snowstorm has pulled out, but another cold day is shaping up across the country. people from the midwest eastward are still dealing with snow, slush and ice. parts of the south are under a freeze warning. >> i know. my brother was driving back from florida on spring break with his family and children and got stuck in illinois for a day and a half. >> unbelievable. the new google glass internet headset hasn't hit the market yet, but one west virginia lawmaker already leading an effort to keep drivers from wearing the internet eyepieces behind the wheel. >> state representative gary howell has introduced legislation that would expand existing laws against texting while driving to pivot using a wearable computer with a head-mounted display. howell says he fears drivers

could be easily distracted by these kinds of gadgets. what if you're watching a movie and driving? that's not a problem. >> do you really think people would wear them while driving? >> i didn't think people would be texting and driving. >> true. microsoft co-founder bill gates offering up a challenge with a hefty payout this morning. he wants to give $100,000 to the person who can create the next generation of condoms. protection that significantly preserves or enhances pleasure. those are his words. the idea being more people around the world would use protection if condoms were designed better. the bill and melinda gates foundation says a start-up grant could lead to $1 million in additional funding as well. >> and of course, it's about preventing disease and saving lives. >> yeah, absolutely. >> and breaking down a lot of cultural barriers around the world to get more people to protect themselves. >> i read this full story and i was really surprised, and he makes a very valid point, and that is that there has not been a redesign in condoms since they were invented, really. >> okay, so, there you go.

>> a million bucks. coming up next, he's the man who may keep jodi arias off death row, but is a psychologist in this case too close to arias to be trusted? details after this. ♪

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[ laughter ] [ male announcer ] earn points with the citi thankyou card and redeem them for just about anything. visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. welcome back to "early start." the jodi arias murder trial entering its final phase with the last defense witness taking the stand. on monday, a crucial witness for the defense faced a brutal cross examination that may be a big blow. cnn's miguel marquez was there for the courtroom confrontation. >> she met that criteria. and you can bang on it all you want, and it's still your judgment, isn't it? >> reporter: aggressive cross examination. prosecutor juan martinez hammering away at the credibility of a key defense expert psychologist, richard samuels. >> right, you wouldn't see it that way because you have feelings for the defendant, right? >> i beg your pardon, sir. >> reporter: martinez all but taunting the witness, telegraphing to the jury the

idea that samuels cannot be trusted, that he's too close to jodi arias. >> isn't it true that in this case, you lost your objectivity? >> objection. >> absolutely not. >> reporter: samuels' testimony critical in explaining jodi arias's 18 days of testimony and keeping the 32-year-old off death row for killing her on again-off again boyfriend, travis alexander, in 2008. >> dr. samuels is a critical witness for the defense, because if jurors believe dr. samuels, then jodi arias really doesn't remember the details of the killing. >> reporter: the trial going nearly three months now is attracting snowbirds like steve pinto from new jersey. he's been watching on tv since day one. today's his first day in court. he lined up at 4:00 a.m. why? what has hooked you into it? >> because she looks so innocent, but the crime that she made is very, very fierce, which she's done. >> reporter: but you don't believe she's innocent, though? >> oh, no, definitely not.

>> reporter: the trial now entering its final phase. the level of interest here only growing. dr. samuels has now finished testifying. the defense's last witness is now taking the stand. it's their last chance to prove how jodi arias could have carried out this horrible crime and be excused for it. miguel marquez, cnn, phoenix. >> our thanks to miguel. it is 46 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to date. tradition classes with the fight for equality as gay rights take center stage in d.c. starting in about three hours, the u.s. supreme court begins hearing arguments on the constitutionality of two laws, proposition 8, california's ban on gay marriage, and doma. that's the federal defense of marriage act. the court's decision expected later this year. democratic senator tim johnson of south dakota's expected to announce his retirement today. a press release says his event at the university of south dakota would be regarding the 2014 election. johnson would be the fifth democrat to announce his retirement in 2014. he was first elected to the senate in 1995 and has served

three terms. he survived a near-fatal brain hemorrhage in 2006 and went on to win re-election in 2008. secretary of state john kerry is now on route to paris following an unannounced visit to afghanistan, where he met up with president hamid karzai. monday's meeting followed weeks of tension between the u.s. and afghanistan over control of afghan prisoners and accusations that the u.s. had been working with the taliban. but it's not all hard work and diplomacy for the secretary of state. this morning he got to use his head to get in a little play time with a women's doctor team in afghanistan. secretary kerry left kabul within the past hour after his first mideast tour as secretary of state. >> he needs a little more practice there. >> she's good. >> yeah, she is. 48 minutes past the hour. don't blame the groundhog. why punxsutawney phil's handler says it's not the furry guy's fault we haven't seen spring, even though he predicted it was right around the corner. that's next. carfirmation.

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in legal news, the prosecutor in ohio who wants punxsutawney phil indicted for botching winter forecast might be backing down. the groundhog's handler says he's the one who should be thrown under the bus, not phil. you know the man we're talking about, the one with the big hat, cool gloves. yeah, he said phil did predict six more weeks of winter, but he misinterpreted phil's message. the prosecutor says he'll think about a pardon. all right, so, it certainly hasn't felt much like spring around a good chunk of the country. jennifer delgado in the weather center for us this morning. we just want to know when it's all going to go away and we could actually enjoy some spring temperatures. >> right. you don't want to go back to punxsutawney phil to get his expert advice. >> no. >> you know, i would give a bum forecast, too, if you woke me up and drove me out of my hole, too. but yes, temperatures are very

cold out there once again. temperatures in the 30s, lower 30s across the south. across parts of the northeast, right around 36, 38 degrees. that includes new york. but we do have a freeze warning in place, and this one extends all the way from central texas all the way over towards the carolinas, and that means we're going to be looking at temperatures dropping down into the upper 20s as well as into the lower 30s, and we could see this happening once again tomorrow, because we have this big ridge of high pressure that's going to be building in and allowing that cool air to settle in place. now, this is still what is left from yesterday's snowstorm, still lingering through parts of the ohio valley. not expecting much, maybe about an inch of snowfall right around the lower apps. you might, of course, see heavier amounts in higher elevations across parts of the northeast. we are going to keep the clouds around. we are not expecting snow. we will keep some sprinkles around throughout the morning, but overall, we're going to keep you dry. now, we talk about the cold air and when we're going to see some relief. well, there's some good news. we're going to start to see the jet stream retreating as we head

into the end of the week, and that means temperatures are going to start to rebound. here's a look at your high temperatures today. notice still running 10 to 15 degrees below average, but notice 40s for chicago as well as new york city. you'll still be in the 40s and you'll finally get to more normal temperatures by the time easter rolls around on sunday. so, that's the good news. however, it's still cold out. back to you guys. >> well, thank you. we appreciate it. a little good news on the horizon. all right, 54 minutes past the hour. pay what you weigh. the controversial, new proposal to have obese people pay more for airline tickets. we're going to have all the details, ahead. look what mommy is having. mommy's having a french fry. yes she is, yes she is. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. 100% vegetable juice, with three of your daily vegetable servings in every little bottle.

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good morning! welcome back to "early start." a look at what's trending online this morning. turns out, jamie foxx wasn't quintin tarantino's first choice to play the title role in his revenge fantasy "django unchained." actor will smith tells "entertainment weekly" he turned the part down because the django character was second fiddle to the bounty hunter. smith said i need to be the lead. walsh, you'll recall, won the oscar for best supporting actor. will said he thought the film was brilliant but just not for me. all right, in a push to implement a pay what you weigh pricing system for obese airline passengers is being called way out of line. a professor writing in the european journal of revenue and pricing management says there are fuel and other costs associated with transporting heavier passengers, so they should pay more, but one travel expert says people already pay

for extra baggage and called imposing a so-called fat tax distasteful. >> economists had looked at this before, because when you're flying in an airplane, you're using jet fuel, right? and space, a finite amount of space. and they looked at the economics of maybe you should pay for how much you're using in that plane, whether you're thin, average or overweight. >> that is going to be very controversial. >> oh, it already is. >> oh, my gosh. check out other top cnn trends at cnn.com/trends. >> "early start" continues right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com two major stories we're following this morning. first, major news that amanda knox will be retried for murder. her acquittal has been overturned by the highest court in italy. we're live in rome talking to her attorney. and the other big story, the wait is over as crowds line up to witness history. the supreme court just hours away from taking up the issue of same-sex marriage. a slushy winter mess to

start our spring. the cnn fact-checking team is digging deep into whether it really is spring. we've also got freeze warnings on top of all that. and for the first time since 2010, tiger is back on top. he's number one and he says there is a pretty simple reason why he's again the world's number one golfer. it has nothing to do with his new girlfriend, he says. good morning. welcome back to "early start." we're glad you're with us. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm christine romans, in for tuesday, march 26th, it is 6:00 a.m. on the nose in the east. up first, breaking news overseas. italy's supreme court ruling that american amanda knox should again stand trial for the death of her former roommate. the decision came down about an hour ago. knox spent four years in prison before an appeals court overturned her murder conviction in the 2007 death of meredith kercher. kercher was found inside their perugia apartment with her throat slashed. knox did not attend this

hearing. cnn's ben wedeman is in rome with the very latest. you just talked to knox's lawyer. what can you tell us? >> yes. he was obviously very surprised by this ruling. they had been confident before they went in to the court yesterday that the acquittal would be upheld. this is what he told me. we're joined by the lawyer for amanda knox. what is the reaction to this? >> well, first of all we thought that the grounds for this decision for the supreme court to reinstate the case were not there. but after the decision was yesterday, we suspect that something was going in the wrong direction. so we're upset. but at the same time we're looking forward to seeing the motivation. we don't know what are the motivations behind this decision and we're ready to fight. spoke to amanda. amanda is upset, surprised, because we thought that the case was over.

but at the same time, she's ready to continue on and win this fight. >> and many people are interested, will she return to italy for the retrial? >> i don't think she will come back for many reasons. first of all, she's a very young girl, and she has her life, and it will have an impact on her. so she can come, of course, she's a free person. there's no limitations of liberty. but for the time being i think that she has her life back in seattle. >> all right. thank you very much. so there we have it. amanda knox free for the moment, but there will be a retrial. we also spoke with one of the lawyers for meredith kercher, the murdered british exchange student. he said that kercher's family is happy about the verdict. they had felt all along that there should be a retrial. >> so, ben, do we have any sense of why?

why the court ruled in favor of a retrial? >> well, we understand that the prosecution yesterday, and during this lengthy deliberations, made a very good argument that the broad body of evidence that had been collected, and of course, of the investigation, was damning. amounted to enough certainly to put raffaele sollecito, the former boyfriend of amanda knox, and amanda knox, behind bars. they said that the defense in winning their acquittal back in october in 2011 had focused on the problems, the shortcomings of the police investigation, but that the evident simply is there. so it appears that the supreme court agreed with the argument made by the prosecution, and that's, perhaps, why they ruled for a retrial. now we understand that the reasons, the motivations for the judge's decision will be public, in 90 days. after which, the defense and the

prosecution have 45 days to make their arguments. so we are being told by legal experts that there may be a trial sometime early next year. >> all right. ben wedeman. thank you so much for that great interview with one of her attorneys. really giving us insight into how shocked and surprised she is by this turn of events. thanks. >> tough for both families to have to face this. the other big story that we're following for you this morning, a pivotal day in the battle over gay rights. and the definition of marriage. later this morning the u.s. supreme court begins hearing arguments on the constitutionality of two laws. the federal defense of marriage act, and proposition 8, california's began on gay marriage. some folks have camped out for nearly a week in order to get one of those 250 seats that are available to the public. the big question, will justices follow the shift we've seen in this country? look at this. a new cnn/orc poll shows the number of americans who support

same-sex marriage has spiked 12 points in six years. shannon travis is at the supreme court for us this morning, and, shannon, today the justices actually examine the constitutionality of proposition 8. walk us through that. >> zoraida, with the arguments pro and concould be sub stacks and potentially even heated. on the pro side in terms of arguing proposition 8, california's ban on same-sex marriage, supporters of that basically saying this is a voter approved referendum. they approved this measure back in 2008. so it should be up to the voters to decide that. we also expect for them to reiterate what conservatives, many conservatives have long said, that the institution of marriage in the u.s. has always been defined as between one man and one woman. on the con said, opponents of this proposition 8 we expect for them to argue that the constitution does guarantee same-sex couples the right to be

able to marry under equal protection clause. and also, basically press the justices on placing a higher scrutiny on not discriminating against gays and lesbians, because this is a class of americans that have just traditionally been discriminated against, zoraida. >> so shannon, we just put up these numbers, the court is hearing arguments amidst growing public support for same-sex marriage. could those changes affect at all the court's decision? >> it could. i mean think about it this way. on the one hand you just had some poll numbers that show majority and kwroeing support in favor of same-sex marriage. but on the other hand you have nine states and the district of columbia that have banned it. 38 states -- sorry, that have allowed it. 38 states that have banned it. so there's a central question about whether or not the justices should step in with a judicial solution, or whether they should allow this to be worked out in the electric electoral process, let voters decide who their representatives

are or let them handle it this way or through voters referendums. >> we will see. shannon travis live at the supreme court. ahead of tomorrow's doma arguments, some senators are publicly denouncing it and coming out in support of same-sex marriage. the huffington post reports democratic senator mark warner of virginia and fellow democrat claire mccaskill of missouri voiced their support for same-sex marriage yesterday. also, democratic senators jay rockefeller of west virginia, and tim johnson of south dakota announced they no longer support doma. both supported it when it became law in 1996. >> also this morning we've learned the supreme court has agreed to tackle race-based college admissions again. this time the court will just consider whether michigan's race-based affirmative action ban called proposition 2 is constitutional. voters approved it in 2006. but a federal appeals court struck it down last year. the supreme court said it would hear the appeal before ruling on attending a affirmative action case involving university of

texas. and north korea serving up its latest round of threats against the united states. it says it plans to place military units on combat ready status for possible strikes against the u.s. mainland, hawaii, guam, and other american military units in the pacific. north korea is angry over tougher u.n. sanctions and joint military exercises by the u.s. and south korea. and this is the latest in a string of threats. the u.s. department of defense has responded saying it can fend off whatever the north comes up with. if the weather were a football game, winter would be flagged for late hits, spring would be whistled for delay of game and millions of people dealing with another day of snow, slush and chills nearly one week after spring officially began. this month will go down in the record books in many, many parts of the country. cnn's martin savidge live for us this morning in pittsburgh. we are doing severe weather stories almost at easter. martin, oh. >> almost. almost. yeah, it's so cold here this

morning here in pittsburgh. i mean, they predicted snow overnight. fortunately that didn't happen. but it's definitely cold enough to snow. and snow is in the forecast. it's supposed to be an average 62 degrees today. they won't even get close to that by far, and it's not just here. gone but not forgotten. the spring storm that dumped snow from the colorado rockies to the jersey shore is now a melting memory. but not before crushing snowfall records in parts of the midwest. in places like st. louis and peoria, illinois, records for march dating back a century or more were buried beneath a foot to a foot and a half of snow. springfield, illinois, got 17 inches. that's the most ever in a single day. according to the national oceanic and atmospheric at administration there was snow on the ground monday in nearly half of the lower 48 states. compare that to less than 8% a year ago. and the storm system had wide-reaching effects, making

roads a mess. keeping airlines grounded. and delivering powerful thunderstorms, high winds, and cold air to the sunny south. in most areas the snow only added up to a few inches. but it quickly turned into thick, heavy slush. in pittsburgh, even the plows had problems. >> it's slippery underneath. it's a very heavy snow, even though the trucks are heavy it's pushing the trucks around a lot. >> reporter: snow blowers, bogged down. >> wet, heavy. so that was surprise. that shocked me. i thought it was going to be a lot lighter. >> reporter: snow remains in the forecast for the next few days leaving peep here and elsewhere wondering whatever happened to that thing called spring. there is a 40% chance of snow in pittsburgh today. 40% chance tonight. 30% tomorrow. it goes on like that. i'm ready to put out an all points bulletin for spring. you can get a picture put on a milk carton, have you seen me? >> at least you have a smile on

your face, martin. i mean at this point, all you can do is smile and laugh. i just got a tweet from somebody in glendale, arizona, who said we're smiling. maybe we're laughing a little bit at all of you. thanks, martin. >> i was just in arizona. 85 degrees and sunny. not bad. not bad. >> there's a reason why they have folks from the midwest there all winter long. the murder of colorado's prison chief now officially linked to a shoot-out in texas. tests show the gun evan ebel used in the shoot-out is the same one used to kill tom clements in his home two days earlier. ebel was killed. he was an ex-con and a member of a white supremacist prison gang. investigators are still trying to figure out if he had any accomplices. congresswoman michele bachmann under investigation. an ethics panel is looking into alleged misuse of funds during her short-lived 2012 presidential campaign. the allegations include improper transfer of funds and under the table payments by former senior campaign staffers. bachmann's attorney says the minnesota republican is

cooperating with the investigation. and you are looking live at the dragon cargo capsule getting ready to leave the international space station. earlier it began the undocking process. the capsule should splash down into the pacific off baja, california, this afternoon just after 12:30 eastern time. the unmanned dragon arrived at the station about three weeks ago with supplies for the crew. took about three years but tiger woods reclaimed his spot as the world's top golfer. he did it by winning the arnold palmer invitational in orlando. it's tiger's third tournament win in already this year three this year. he says the reason behind his improved play is simple. he's healthy. >> i had to look at it, if i get healthy i know i can play this game at a high level. i know i can, i can be where i'm contending in every event. contending in major championships. and being consistent day in and day out. if i got healthy. >> this was the eighth time

tiger woods has won at bay hill. next up the masters in two weeks. >> there was a report asking if his relationship lindsey vonn had anything to do with it. and he said you are reading way too much into that. number one again. >> keeping the heat on high. lebron james and the miami heat, yes, they have won 27 straight games. that's more than nine nba teams have won for the entire season. lebron led the way with 24 points in a 108-94 victory over the orlando magic. the heat now just six away from the nba's record for consecutive wins. it's held by the 1971-72 l.a. lakers who won 33 in a row. >> have you been watching them? >> it's a really good team. you know they're playing really good ball and they have really incredible superstars on that team. everybody expected them to do it but the synergy, the chemistry of working well together. >> it's all there. >> coming up why soon you may be able to keep electronic devices turned on during takeoff. [ lorenzo ] i'm lorenzo.

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16 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "early start." tradition clashes with the fight for equality as gay rights take center stage in d.c. today.

starting in about three hours the u.s. supreme court begins hearing arguments on the constitutionality of two laws. proposition 8, california's ban on gay marriage and doma. that is the federal defense of marriage act. the court's decision expected later this year. prosecutors say a senior terror leader captured at sea nearly two years ago has turned out to be an intelligence watershed. in papers unsealed in court monday it was revealed that 25-year-old ahmed warsami pleaded guilty to being a commander in a somali terror group with ties to al qaeda in yep be. intelligence officials say he provided enormously valuable information about terror training, operatives and potential plots. this will go down as the lost week of spring. the powerful snowstorm has moved out but another cold day is shaping up in many parts of the country. people from the midwest eastward are dealing with snow, slush and that ice storm from yesterday in parts of the south are under a freeze warning as well. lottery officials waiting for the winner of a $338 million

powerball jackpot. >> here he is. >> pedro p-e-y-d-r-o. the fourth largest lottery jackpot there. that man pedro quezada caused a frenzy where the winning lottery ticket was sold. he said he hit the jackpot but didn't have the ticket with him to prove it. so new jersey lottery officials say they're aware of his claim but until they see the winning ticket, they will not call anyone the winner. >> $338 million. >> imagine holding that. i would have a heart attack. >> hmm. >> 18 minutes past the hour. looks like change is in the air for using electronic gadgets in flight. two anonymous sources, an official with the faa and a member of the industry group telling "the new york times" they expect the faa to announce plans to relax the rules for reading devices during takeoff and landing by the end of the year this is expected. the change would reportedly not include cell phones. that will make people happy. >> yeah.

>> recent study find airlines charge an estimated $36 billion in fees last year. billion with a "b." the trend continues. travelers may notice even more services being offered. but they often come at a premium. for some the added convenience may be worth the price. united airlines is helping you get to your gate and your seat faster, its premiere access service starts at $9. it allows passengers to move quickly through check-in and security using exclusive lanes and giving them priority barding for nine bucks. united is also making it easier for you once you're at our final destination they've signed on to a service that will deliver your checked bags to your home, office or hotel room within 100 miles of the airport. convenient. the fee starts at $30 a bag for the first bag it's available at 36 airports. you want to catch up with your favorite flicks southwest airlines lets you stream movies on your laptop or your tablet. that will cost you $5 for every movie per device. so in booking your next flight make sure you're clear on all these fees. you can check out your airlines website or visit travelnerd.com

to compare. >> nice perks but everything costs you. >> it sure does. >> 19 minutes past the hour. what happens to your money if the supreme court overturns the law that defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman? [ buzzer ] hot dog? i'm buying. i'll use my capital one venture card with double miles you can actually use to fly any airline anytime. ♪ what are you doing? i'm saving one for later. my body keeps it warm. it's like a little hot dog steamer in there. go ahead, touch my chest. no. ♪ what's in your wallet? you got any mustard in there? ♪

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...and we inspected his brakes for free. -free is good. -free is very good. [ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke. good morning, again. welcome back to "early start." minding your business this morning. stocks look like they might rebound from monday's losses. futures are higher right now. developments in cyprus striking new concerns about the eurozone. but investors seem to be looking past that at least for now. we get a big report on home

prices a half hour before the opening bell on wall street. banks in cyprus will remain closed until thursday. regulators say they need more to time to prevent a run on the banks. new reports this morning say the country's biggest depositors could face a 40% hit to their bank accounts. but the exact percentage has not been determined quite yet. limits on withdrawals were put in place last week. still there are long lines at atms. the banking sector in cyprus, seven times the size of its economy. we're also watching shares of electric carmaker tesla this morning. its ceo sent a couple of i don't know provocative sweets last night that got investors excited. ee lon musk posted this tweet monday, really excited that tesla moaters announcement coming up thursday. i'm going to put my money where my mouth is in a major way. following the tweet, tesla's stock shot up more than 4% in after-hours trading. the ceo then tweeted that he'll have to move the announcement to next week to avoid distracting the company's end of quarter financial practices.

certainly got a lot of attention and moved the stocks. all right the one thing you need to know about your money today, $8,000, eight grand, if the supreme court overturns the federal law that defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman, same-sex couples will save $8,000 or more in income tax. there's about 1,000 federal tax breaks that same-sex couples can't claim because of the defense of marriage act. that's according to the new analysis by h&r block. you can check out the full article on cnn money. >> 25 minutes past the hour. ah, no, new this morning the teenager who asked supermodel kate upton to his prom. may be in for some bad news. >> but every girl in his high school is now happy because they won't have paparazzi -- >> you can watch us any time on your desk top or mobile phone. ♪ i am stuck on band-aid brand ♪

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breaking news this morning. amanda knox's acquittal overturned. she is now set to face a retrial for murder. we are in rome with brand-new developments. on the verge of history. the supreme court just hours away from hearing a case that could change the definition of marriage and family in america. former president, bush, carter, the things being dished

out for pension, office space, even phone bills. >> and pay what you weigh. uproar over a proposal to hike your plane ticket price if you're fat. welcome back to "early start." i'm christine romans in for john berman. a lot of people talking about that story. >> we want your name, your weight and your height when you're booking an airline ticket. i'm zoraida sambolin. 29 minutes past the hour. we begin with breaking news overseas. amanda knox will be retried for the murder of her roommate, meredith kercher. the decision came down about an hour ago. knox spent four years in prison before an appeals court overturned the original 2007 conviction. kercher was found dead in their apartment with her throat slashed. cnn's ben wedeman is in rome with the latest developments. >> reporter: the italian supreme court has ruled that amanda knox and her former italian boyfriend raffaele sollecito must stand for a retrial. this came after lengthy deliberations on monday in which the prosecution argued that the

broad body of evidence collected by the investigators was enough to bring them back to retrial. they argued that the defense focused on the botched investigation by the police, but that did not mean, they said, that these two are innocent. >> we are upset. but at the same time we're looking forward to read the motivation. we don't know exactly what are the motivation behind the decision. and we are ready again to fight. i spoke with amanda. amanda is upset, surprised, because we thought that the case was over, but at the same time, the last five years she's ready to continue and willing to fight. >> now according to the judges, they have 60 days to submit the reasoning for their ruling. the defense and the prosecution then has 45 days to put forward their cases. a trial is not expected, a retrial is not expected, until sometime early next year. i'm ben wedeman, reporting from rome. and friday night be sure to watch anderson cooper's special

report, murder abroad, the amanda knox story. that's at 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. >> we're also following what will become a historic case for the u.s. supreme court. a few hours from now justices begin hearing arguments on the issue of same-sex marriage. the arguments will stretch over two days, and include both prop 8, california's ban on gay marriage, and the defense of marriage act. some people have camped out for the better part of a week. they are vying for 250 seats available to the public. shannon travis is at the supreme court. shannon, today the justices examine the constitutionality of proposition 8. what's each side arguing? >> yeah, we expect for them, for those arguments, to be pretty passionate, and certainly substantive, christine. on the pro side, those proponents of proposition 8, that california ban on same-sex marriage, we expect them to basically recite what a lot of conservatives have long said, that the definition of marriage has long been in america between one man and one woman.

we also expected them to argue loudly that this is a voter approved referendum. something that the voters approved back in 2008, on the opposition side, opposition of prop 8. we expected them to basically say that the constitution under the equal protection clause guarantees same-sex couples the right to be able to freely marry. we also expected them to say, listen, supreme court justices, you have to place a much higher level of scrutiny any time you're talking about discriminating against same-sex couples, because this is a class of people, gays and lesbians, that have traditionally been discriminated against. christine? >> if the justices say that prop 8 has to be overturned there will be about three ways to do it. if they choose to oppose prop 8, which path do you see, shannon, is the most likely? >> yeah, there are three different paths that we're kind of looking at. obviously any number of ways this could go. let's key in on three particular paths. because california is the only

state, christine, that granted this rate to same-sex couples and then took it away with prop 8, you could see the court basically saying, you know what, california, you can't do that, we're going to rule against prop 8 but this only applies to that state. another path you would potentially see is the court saying that civil unions doesn't go far enough, that if you don't allow marriage that it's discrimination. so for the states, only for the states that allow civil unions that those states then also have to allow same-sex marriage. and the last and probably least likely scenario, is for the court to overrule gay marriage ban, same-sex marriage bans across the nation. that's probably least likely. one last thing, christine, we expect for chief justice john roberts' cousin, his first cousin, she's a lesbian, an open lesbian, who's openly campaigned against proposition 8 to be in the court with her partner. christine? >> wow. must be interesting. shannon travis.

thanks. other top stories that we're following. two teenage suspects charged with killing a baby in georgia. make their paris appearance in court today. 17-year-old demark us el kin let his lawyer do the talking. he did not enter a plea. a 15-year-old suspect was also in court. the parents charged in the shooting death of a 13-month-old baby boy while attempting to rob the baby's mother. the mother was shot in the leg but survives. some answers in the mystery of a russian businessman who was found dead in his home. british investigators say boris berezovsky died by hanging with no signs of a violent struggle. berezovsky moved to england after a falling-out with the kremlin and president vladimir putin. that fueled a lot of speculation about his death. but police say there is no evidence a third party was involved. berezovsky apparently was having some money problems. toxicology test results will take several weeks still. democratic senator tim johnson of south dakota is expected to announce his retirement today. if he does he'll be the fifth

democrat to retire before it the 2014 election. he's scheduled to speak today at the university of south dakota. johnson was first elected to the senate back in 1995. he has served three terms. he survived a near-fatal brain hemorrhage, remember, in 2006, and went on to win re-election in 2008. former u.s. presidents cost the federal government almost $3.7 million last year alone. george w. bush got more than $1.3 million to cover his pension, office space, and $85,000 in phone bills, as well. bill clinton cost the government a little less than a million dollars. george h.w. bush is expensive, came in at $850,000. and the least expensive former president, want to guess? jimmy carter. who only required $500,000 in federal funds last year. >> i'm surprised how low those numbers are. when you look at a ceo. even a ceo who doesn't do very well, they tend to get much bigger packages, very big exit packages. so when you think of the president as a former ceo, still

representing the country wherever they go, need security because of their jobs, you know, i'm actually surprised. i think those numbers are kind of low. just i'm -- i, i cover business so i think of how ceos are treated and they get way more money than that. from the depths of the ocean to the bright lights of las vegas, jewelry from the wreckage of the "titanic" on display at the luxor hotel and casino. 15 pieces were discovered in a purser's bag during a 1987 research and recovery mission. the exhibit will be on display until may 31st. it includes diamonds and sapphire rings, brooches, necklaces, cuff links. gold pocketwatch. >> they're absolutely gorgeous. there will be a lot of knockoffs based on that. stories trending online this morning. supermodel kate upton appears to be trying to gently let down a california teen dreaming of taking her to his prom. sports illustrated cover girl said she'd like to be jake davidson's date after the 17-year-old los angeles senior posted a direct appeal on youtube. but now, upton tells "people"

magazine her schedule may be too full to actually make the date. i'm sure he would take a date on another night. doesn't have to be prom night. >> customer complaints rolling in about yoga clothing maker lululemon's return policy. they say they're forced to put on pants they want to return and bend over to prove the pants are too sheer. >> gracious! >> lululemon story has become lulu-ludicrous. the company recently announced a recall of pants that were somewhat see-thru. lululemon says it's not official policy but acknowledge some customers are being asked to prove. an analyst said how do you know it's a defective pant, the only way to know is -- >> no, no, no stretch it with your hands, put it up against the light, if you can see through, that is the same thing. a push to implement a pay what you weigh pricing system for obese airline passengerers

is being called way out of line this morning. a professor writing in the european journal of revenue and pricing management said there are fuel and other costs associated with transporting heavier passengers, so they should pay more. but one travel expert says people already pay for extra baggage and calls imposing a so-called fat tax distasteful. >> hmm. all right. they're not even on the market yet but one state's already considering a ban on google's glasses. you've seen a prototype there. we're going to tell you what the ban is all about next. victor! victor! i got your campbell's chunky soup. mom? who's mom? i'm the giants mascot. the giants don't have a mascot! ohhh! eat up! new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. hmmm. for giant hunger! thanks mom! see ya! whoaa...oops! mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie! she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right.

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but that doesn't mean they won't try. bring all your finances together with the help of the one person who can, a certified financial planner professional. cfp -- let's make a plan. welcome back. soledad o'brien joins us now with a look at what's ahead on

"starting point." >> good morning. lots happening this morning. ahead on "starting point," the supreme court is going to hear arguments challenging the constitutionality of prop 8, california's ban on same-sex marriage. tomorrow they take a look at the defense of marriage act or doma. how could the court's decision affect the definition of marriage in this country. we'll talk with cnn's senior legal analyst jeff toobin. also california's lieutenant governor gavin newsom will join us, as well. then jerry sandusky issuing strong denials from prison about key testimony from his trial. why is he talking now? we'll talk with the attorney for sandusky victim number four. we'll get his take on this latest word from jerry sandusky. and then one of my favorite people in the whole world, wendell pierce, you know him from the wire, he know him, now he is using his star power from treme, of course, to open a supermarket chain to help give low income residents in new orleans healthy options. they talk about a food desert

where no one can get fresh food. he's not only an actor, he now is running a supermarket chain. we'll talk about that. >> cool, wonderful. >> he's fantastic. >> thank you so much, soledad. 43 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to date. italian supreme court justices ruling that american amanda knox should again stand trial for the death of her roommate. prosecutors also say they are still convinced that knox and her former boyfriend raffaele sole sito are responsible for the 2007 murder of meredith cincher. knox's attorney does not expect knox to return to italy but says that she's ready to fight. from philadelphia to boston will be back on the trails today of a missing college student, sunil tripathi hasn't been seen since march 16th. he left his apartment in providence, rhode island, without his wallet or cell phone. the fbi is helping in the search. tripathi's family says he's been struggling with depression. secretary of state john kerry is heading to paris after making an unannounced visit to afghanistan. kerry is meeting with president

hamid karzai followed weeks of verbal sparring between the u.s. and afghanistan over control of afghan prisoners, and accusations that the united states had been working with the taliban. the u.s. has now turned over control of the prison at bagram military base to the afghans. and kerry says president karzai understands the united states is only interested in the taliban if they are ready to come to the table to make peace. boeing clears a big hurdle. it says its 787 dreamliner's first test flight with a new lithium-ion battery went according to plan. boeing says it wants the dreamliner back in service by may 1st but one expert told reuters it will probably be three to six months after that because the faa will want to make sure these batteries work as promised. regulators grounded the dreamliners in january after batteries overheated on two planes. the new google glass internet headset isn't even on the market yet but already one state lawmaker is leading an effort to keep drivers from using the high-tech eye piece while they are behind the wheel.

west virginia state representative gary howell has introduced legislation that would expand existing laws against texting while driving to also prohibit using a wearable computer with a head mounted display. howell says that he fears drivers could be easily distracted by these kind of gadgets. of course they could. who would wear something like that while they're driving? apparently many people. >> people do really dumb things all the time. you probably stepped outside this week and asked yourself, where is spring? jennifer delgado. where is spring? i want the truth. >> you want the truth. well the truth is, it's buried underneath snow and cold air, and it's all because of the jet stream. but we're going to see a return, guys, by the weekend. just in time for easter. yes, i know zoraida is excited. a lot of people are getting ready for their easter holiday outfits. make sure it's kind of warm for you. but want to show you some of the temperatures. we're in the 30s this morning. 30 degrees in charlotte. 34 in columbus. for new york, 36 degrees and 32 degrees in atlanta.

today the morning starting off very cold, because we have all this cold air all the way down towards the south. in fact, we do have freeze warnings in place from central texas all the way over towards the carolinas, and we're very likely to see this setting up for tomorrow as well as we see temperatures flirting with the lower 30s, as well as the upper 20s. so, make sure you're protecting that vegetation. so the answer to christine's question, why are we so cold? well it's the jet stream. it's been pulling all that cold air down towards the south. by the end of the week it's going to start to retreat, and that means some of that warm air is going to be spreading over towards the east just in time for sunday. it's not going to be balmy. but it's certainly going to be an improvement. here's a look at some of your high temperatures for today. we have 40s and 50s, and 30s out there for kansas city. of course, still snow covered there. dallas, 59 for you. and then for new york, 48 for a high. and atlanta, 49 degrees. now keep in mind, we are still tracking just a wee bit of snow out there moving through the

ohio valley. could see about an inch for areas like eastern kentucky, really right along the lower, we'll start to see the accumulations. nothing to talk about after yesterday. across parts of the northeast, clouds around, just maybe a few sprinkles at times. but overall, ridge of high pressure building back in. and that means some of that sunshine will return for areas that are still trying to dig out from the snow. so, i hopefully i answered your question. hopefully you still are happy and maybe one day -- >> we're just going to hold you accountable. because it's hard to find -- >> i know. you beat up on punxsutawney phil and now me. >> thank you so much. >> bye. >> 48 minutes past the hour. tiger woods back in the number one spot and he's also sharpening his martial arts skills. details next. ♪

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he's back on top and he may be playing better than over. dominating performances in the past, tiger was never really challenged in the final round of the arnold palmer invitational. he had the putter going all week. tiger said he knew he would get his game back once he was fully healthy. that sure looks like it's the case now, as he has won six of his last 20 starts on the pga tour. tiger's return to number one in the world comes one week after announcing that he is dating skier lindsey vonn. after yesterday's win vonn tweeted number one. tiger was asked if there was any correlation to his success and dating vonn and he answered, you're reading way too much into it. the florida gulf coast eagles received a hero's welcome yesterday. they returned to fort myers. at some point it looks like they're going to make a movie about this team. their cinderella story is awesome and so is the story of their head coach. not only is he a self-made millionaire and a good leader, maybe his biggest achievement is

how he met and married supermodel amanda. >> from oklahoma state from oklahoma city and we went to boston, i drove her and her friend from new york city to boston to go to the oklahoma state first and second round. and when i picked her up in the car i didn't know at the time but i knew as soon as she got in my car it would be a great trip to boston. >> no dwyane wade, no problem once again for the heat as they cruise past the magic for the 27th straight win. the heat and their streak now head to chicago for a match-up with the bulls on wednesday. miami now just six wins away. 71-72 lakers for the longest winning streak in nba history. >> well tiger's golf game is back and it looks like he's added martial arts to his bag of tricks in his latest ad, tiger and arnold palmer showing off more than just their golf skills. see the entire commercial at bleacherreport.com. and the masters still a little over two weeks away but i bet

you can guess the overall favorite to win it. >> no kids. when you're number one. all right, andy scholes, thank you very much. >> all right, in defense of the groundhog, who's taking the blame now for the awful weather lately and saying hey, don't blame punxsutawney phil? next. [ female announcer ] born from the sweet monk fruit, something this delicious could only come from nature. discover nectresse™. the 100%-natural no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. nectresse™. sweetness naturally. many cereals say they're good for your heart, but did you know there's a cereal that's recommended by doctors? it's post shredded wheat. recommended by nine out of ten doctors to help reduce the risk of heart disease.

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